Tamaki Māori Evening Experience, New Zealand

The Tamaki Māori Evening Experience was both entertaining and educational by showcasing ceremonial rituals, powerful performances and the hangi feasting.

The fern is placed in front of the visitor to accept. If the visitor picks up the token it symbolizes they come in peace.

The Māori people originated from Polynesia and settled New Zealand between 1250 and 1300. They sailed to New Zealand on large canoes called wakas which could hold more than a 100 people. When the Māori arrived to New Zealand they saw the snow caps of the mountain ranges and believed them to be clouds, so the Māori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa which means the Long White Cloud. In the 1600s Europeans came to settle New Zealand, claiming Māori land as their own and bringing western customs for the Māori people to adopt. Māori culture is still very active in New Zealand today and the Tamaki Māori Company’s mission is to teach visitors about their culture and history. My experience at Tamaki Māori was the highlight of my entire time in New Zealand. The people were warm and sincerely wanted to share their culture. The night was essentially, dinner and a show and was about 3.5 hours long. For US$90 it included transport to and from your hotel, dinner, and the performance.

When the Māori arrived to New Zealand they saw the snow caps of the mountain ranges and believed them to be clouds, so the Māori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa which translates to the Long White Cloud.

The haka was used for intimidation and sometimes to try to prevent battles by scaring the enemy.

The cultural experience is held about 20 minutes outside of Rotorua, New Zealand. Once we got there the driver explained that the introduction to the evening would be a traditional challenge where we would be a visiting tribe and the Māori people would present a fern and perform the haka or war dance. The haka was used for intimidation and sometimes to try to prevent battles by scaring the enemy. In modern day the haka is performed by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team to honor their culture and also hype up the team.

After the introduction they educated us on the history and traditions of the Maoris. There were 4 different sections: how to perform the haka, learning about the arts and Crafts, the history of their voyage to New Zealand, and using the poi. and and the thad the groups split up into smaller sections and then rotated around different stations. At Each station they taught us about the Māori people and how they lived. I found this very interesting and it really gave more insight into the Māori culture and a better appreciation for what I was witnessing.

The hangi cooking method

Next, they demonstrated their traditional cooking method called the hangi. The hangi method of cooking involves digging a pit and putting hot rocks down and then the food on top and then cover it. Unlike barbecues, the hangi predominantly uses steam to cook food.

Before dinner they did about 30 minutes of dancing which was very entertaining and fun. They incorporated drums, sticks, guitars and beautiful singing. The evening then concluded with dinner where they served lamb, chicken, fish, carrots, potatoes, and kumara which were all cooked in the hangi. They also had salad, mussels and freshly baked bread. For dessert they served sweet bread with custard and peaches as well as the national dessert pavlova, which tastes like marshmallows to me.

The night reminded me very much of a Hawaiian luau except they focused much more on the history and traditions of their people. I thought the entire night was wonderful and would recommend it to anyone visiting the North Island of New Zealand and looking to learn about the Māori people.